Research Translation Core participants in Combined Remedies Technologies Workshop

Janick Artiola, Co-Director of the UA SBRP Research Translation Core and Associate professor in the Department of Soil, Water & Environmental Science participated in the Combined Remedies Technologies Workshop sponsored by the NIEHS-SBRP, US EPA and Tufts University on June 27-28, 2006. 

The aim of this workshop was to “explore both the opportunities and the limitations, with a goal of identifying the types of research that are needed to facilitate the integration of existing technologies for improved remediation strategies”. In the last few years practitioners have begun to implement multiple remediation technologies at sites contaminated with DNAPLS with claimed improved success, whereas; basic research has tended to be focused on single applications. As a result, field applications of combined technologies are increasing despite the lack of fundamental knowledge in some key areas.

Workshop chairpersons, panel members and attendees consisted of top university researchers, practitioners (consultants), government regulators and other experts in subsurface remediation technologies.

On the first day, panel presentations and discussions were held in each of four major remediation technologies:

• Flushing
• In situ chemical oxidation and reduction
• In situ thermal technologies
• In situ bioremediation

Panel members presented numerous field research studies and real life examples of closed and ongoing sites and clean-up strategies. The second day included multiple workgroup sessions on combined technologies such as:

• Surfactants and chemical treatments
• Thermal and biological treatments
• Thermal and surfactant treatments
• Biological and thermal treatments

The outcome of this workshop will be disseminated to the interested research community in the form of a white paper, edited by the chairpersons and panel members of each technology. Look for this paper and individual panel member presentations in the SBRP/EPA Combined Remedies Workshop located in the NIEHS-SBRP website.